Assessment of the impact of the type of marine fuel used on the carbon footprint of the transport service

Abstract

The paper examines the existing international and domestic regulatory framework for the control of the carbon footprint of sea transport. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the type of marine fuel used on the carbon footprint of the transport service, determined through the energy efficiency coefficient of the transport vessel. The materials and methods used were generalized and analyzed research materials of domestic and foreign scientists, as well as relevant guidance documents. The article presents the results of calculating the carbon footprint of transport vessels of various types with ice reinforcements of class Arc7 on sections of the Northen Sea Route using various types of marine fuels. The use of the presented methodology for estimating the carbon footprint made it possible to quantify the impact of the type of marine fuel used on the carbon footprint of a transport service, determined through the energy efficiency coefficient of a transport vessel. The calculations presented in the study allow us to draw several important conclusions: the use of alternative fuels can significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, the best results were demonstrated by methanol and ammonia — the amount of CO₂ equivalent emitted decreased by 57 % and 96 %, respectively.